The 80s in Boxing: Would There be Another Era Like it?

[elmersalsa]

The 1980s decade was an era that changed in almost everything from music to fashion to politics to sports.

Especially, in boxing. It was a magnificent era of great fighters and great fights. Would there be another era like it? It was a very glamorous era in boxing, especially in the middleweight and welterweight boxers. But, I see pound per pound, from flyweight to heavyweight, a great crop of fantastic fighters: Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous, The Hitman, Salvador Sanchez, Eusebio Pedroza, Aaron Pryor, Roberto Duran, Mike McCallum, Julio Cesar Chavez, Michael Spinks, Larry Holmes, Hector "Macho" Camacho, Azumah Nelson, and of course, the man that became the personality of the 80s: Mike Tyson.

It was an era greatly to talk about. Was there any era like that one? What made that era so great according to your view?

70s era was great instead of 80s

The 70s was a better era no doubt. But, I also love the 80s, and even the 90s decade in boxing.

But, in my lifetime, I have never seen so much talent in one decade. Lots of pound per pound all time greats from heavyweight to flyweight:
Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson at heavyweight.
Evander Holyfield at cruiserweight.
Michael Spinks at light-heavyweight.
Marvin Hagler at middleweight.
Thomas Hearns at super welterweight.
Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran at welterweight.
Aaron Pryor at Jr. welterweight.
Alexis Arguello and Julio Cesar Chavez at lightweight.
Eusebio Pedroza, Azumah Nelson and Salvador Sanchez at featherweight.
Wilfredo Gomez at super bantamweight.
Lupe Pintor and Jeff Chandler at bantamweight.
Khosai Galaxy at super flyweight.

Man, that's a ton of talent in one decade!

[elmersalsa]

I forgot the great Mike McCallum at super welterweight.

[elmersalsa]

How about this. Has there ever been a year to compare in talent against the class of 1982?

Heavyweight: Larry Holmes
Cruiserweight: Carlos "Sugar" DeLeon
Light-Heavyweight: Michael Spinks
Middleweight: Marvin Hagler
Super welterweight: Thomas Hearns
Welterweight: Sugar Ray Leonard
Jr. Welterweight: Aaron Pryor
Lightweight: Alexis Arguello
Jr. Lightweight: Samuel Serrano or Bobby Chacon
Featherweight: Salvador Sanchez or Eusebio Pedroza
Super Bantamweight: Wilfredo Gomez
Bantamweight: Jeff Chandler or Lupe Pintor
Super Flyweight: Jiro Watanabe
Flyweight: Santos Laciar
Jr. Flyweight: Hilario Zapata

What class of any year defeats the class of '82 in your view?

[Bricks]

I assumed everything between Ali & Tyson was boring. I remember how everyone went nuts over the Dokes vs Holyfield fight & hailed it as the best heavyweight fight since the 70's. Plenty of talented guys who fell short. The other problem was too many slick boxers & not enough brawlers. Holmes, Thomas, Tillis, Page, Tubbs, Williams, were all too similar. That's why Tyson was so refreshing.

Boxing had a certain glamour to it. I remember the big fights at Caesars Palace with all the celebrities at ringside. TV broadcasts were more polished I thought with higher production values. I enjoy that decade quite a bit.

The last thing got me.....in the 80s the tv production values were far more polished and it seemed a more glamorous sport....

Of course i live in england where bunce and lillis and adam smiths vision of sky have seemingly turned boxing into a niche small sport.

Polished journaliats like harry carpenter,john inverdale and des lynam are nowhere to be seen.

Dont get me wrong i love bunce.i just wish allegedly would produce a decent boxing set.how hard is that to do.

Pbc tho are bringing back the glamour.love their tv production values and ring colouring etc

Reference the talented 80s slicksters or technicians...this was surely an ali inspired thing? They all wanted to dance like ali or were technicians not punchers....to holmes,williams,tillis, page,tubbs, thomas,tillis one could add biggs,mitch green, buster douglas,tony tucker.....you make a wonderful point.

Tyson was truly awe inspiring. Its a shame foreman hadnt returned 3 years earlier it would have been wonderful to see a peak foreman mk 2 v tyson 88.

I too recall the clamour for dokes -eh in 89. The 90s was an inferior time in terms of pure talent imo but had far far better exciting fights even by 90-92 like eh-bowe,rudfock-tyson,foreman-eh,bowe,moorer-stewart

[Davidreed]

The 1980s decade was an era that changed in almost everything from music to fashion to politics to sports.

Especially, in boxing. It was a magnificent era of great fighters and great fights. Would there be another era like it? It was a very glamorous era in boxing, especially in the middleweight and welterweight boxers. But, I see pound per pound, from flyweight to heavyweight, a great crop of fantastic fighters: Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous, The Hitman, Salvador Sanchez, Eusebio Pedroza, Aaron Pryor, Roberto Duran, Mike McCallum, Julio Cesar Chavez, Michael Spinks, Larry Holmes, Hector "Macho" Camacho, Azumah Nelson, and of course, the man that became the personality of the 80s: Mike Tyson.

It was an era greatly to talk about. Was there any era like that one? What made that era so great according to your view?

70s era was great instead of 80s

The 70s was a better era no doubt. But, I also love the 80s, and even the 90s decade in boxing.

But, in my lifetime, I have never seen so much talent in one decade. Lots of pound per pound all time greats from heavyweight to flyweight:
Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson at heavyweight.
Evander Holyfield at cruiserweight.
Michael Spinks at light-heavyweight.
Marvin Hagler at middleweight.
Thomas Hearns at super welterweight.
Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran at welterweight.
Aaron Pryor at Jr. welterweight.
Alexis Arguello and Julio Cesar Chavez at lightweight.
Eusebio Pedroza, Azumah Nelson and Salvador Sanchez at featherweight.
Wilfredo Gomez at super bantamweight.
Lupe Pintor and Jeff Chandler at bantamweight.
Khosai Galaxy at super flyweight.

Man, that's a ton of talent in one decade!

Agree in this prospective

[Davidreed]

The 1980s decade was an era that changed in almost everything from music to fashion to politics to sports.

Especially, in boxing. It was a magnificent era of great fighters and great fights. Would there be another era like it? It was a very glamorous era in boxing, especially in the middleweight and welterweight boxers. But, I see pound per pound, from flyweight to heavyweight, a great crop of fantastic fighters: Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous, The Hitman, Salvador Sanchez, Eusebio Pedroza, Aaron Pryor, Roberto Duran, Mike McCallum, Julio Cesar Chavez, Michael Spinks, Larry Holmes, Hector "Macho" Camacho, Azumah Nelson, and of course, the man that became the personality of the 80s: Mike Tyson.

It was an era greatly to talk about. Was there any era like that one? What made that era so great according to your view?

70s era was great instead of 80s

The 70s was a better era no doubt. But, I also love the 80s, and even the 90s decade in boxing.

But, in my lifetime, I have never seen so much talent in one decade. Lots of pound per pound all time greats from heavyweight to flyweight:
Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson at heavyweight.
Evander Holyfield at cruiserweight.
Michael Spinks at light-heavyweight.
Marvin Hagler at middleweight.
Thomas Hearns at super welterweight.
Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran at welterweight.
Aaron Pryor at Jr. welterweight.
Alexis Arguello and Julio Cesar Chavez at lightweight.
Eusebio Pedroza, Azumah Nelson and Salvador Sanchez at featherweight.
Wilfredo Gomez at super bantamweight.
Lupe Pintor and Jeff Chandler at bantamweight.
Khosai Galaxy at super flyweight.

Man, that's a ton of talent in one decade!

While my point of view to appreciating 70,s when i make it on your thread was due to some matches which the world of boxing had never seen
before & after of that era.
Joe Frazier Vs M.Ali
M.Ali Vs Joe Frazier (Rematch)
George Foreman Vs M.Ali

[elmersalsa]

The 80s indeed was a glamorous era in boxing. Welterweights and middleweights were making heavyweight elite purses. Six Sugar Ray Leonard's paydays exceeded $10 million. That was the launching pad for future generations of champions below the heavyweights. Especially, if a fighter today wins the gold medal in the Olympics.

Bantamweight champion Jeff Chandler brought back the attention to the bantam division for the American tv audiences starting in 1980. All that happened after the domination of great Mexican bantamweight boxers in the 70s. Chandler was making about $150,000 or more after he won the WBA world bantamweight title.

[elmersalsa]

And do not forget the fights that made this magnificent decade: Duran vs Leonard I, Leonard vs Hearns I, Hagler vs Hearns, Pryor vs Arguello I, Holmes vs Cooney, Sanchez vs Gomez among others. Multi million dollar paydays for these boxers. It was a superstar studded boxing era.